Redford to be Alberta’s first female premier

Alison Redford is swamped by the media after being announced as the winner at the PC Alberta leadership contest at the Northlands Expo Centre in Edmonton.

CALGARY — The first province to elect a woman to the legislature is set, more than 90 years later, to see its first woman take over the top governing job.

The Tory leadership stunner that saw Alison Redford come from behind to take the Conservative crown Sunday morning also ushers Alberta’s inaugural female premier into office.

In a “post-Hillary Clinton” era of female politicians, in which Redford will join the ranks of three currently serving female premiers in Canada — some observers said the milestone is noteworthy only because it’s not been an issue in the campaign.

Asked by reporters Sunday about politics and gender, Redford drew on the province’s demographic diversity to explain the political climate in Alberta that led to her victory.

“We are dynamic, we are a province of young families, of well educated-families that are passionate about our economic future, not just in Alberta but in Canada,” Redford said.

“What we want is the rest of Canada to see us that way.

“I feel that a little bit of what happened (in the vote) was that our politics caught up with who we are.”

In Alberta, often described as Canada’s most conservative province, a female premier helps shred some long-standing redneck stereotypes, said Mount Royal University political analyst David Taras.

Female premiers are already at the helm in Nunavut, Newfoundland and B.C. It’s not “new” anymore, Taras said, rather simple 21st century politics. Alberta is long past the point where it’s significant for women to take positions of power, he said.

In Alberta, Redford campaigned on the premise of talking about issues that matter to residents, such as health care and education — and those are the areas where she’ll be judged by voters, Taras predicted.

“I think she will be judged on who she is, she’ll be judged on the things she cares about, and she’ll be judged on her skills as a politician. That’s the end of the story,” he said.

Frances Wright, founder of the Famous 5 Foundation, said the new Tory boss is a “big step forward for Alberta,” and draws on the province’s heritage of female political trailblazers.

The move was a long time coming, Wright added.

“It took (Alberta) 94 years from the time women got the right to vote for us to have a premier,” she said.

Redford, a 46-year-old lawyer with a young daughter who served as the former justice minister and previously worked extensively abroad on human rights issues, is “particularly inspiring,” added Wright.

“I think more women, and particularly women who still have children at home, will be inspired and encouraged to participate politically.”

With an election in the cards within the year, Alberta conservative politics are now set to enter an era of “tough ideological battle,” Taras said.

At the forefront are two major leaders, Redford of the Tories, and the right-wing Wildrose’s Danielle Smith, who both happen to be well-educated, urban women, Taras said.

An exciting political dynamic is shaping up, said Calgary author Sydney Sharpe, who has written on women and politics in Canada.

“We have two very strong women who are leaders, who know who they are, what they believe,” said Sharpe, author of the Gilded Ghetto: Women and Political Power in Canada.

“It’s going to be a very exciting time in Canadian politics to see very strong women debating every effectively for the principles of their parties.”